laptops Archives - TravelSkills

Show U.S. Customs the contents of your phone…or else!

September 14, 2017

The ACLU is challenging CBP’s right to search travelers’ phones without a warrant. (Image: Customs & Border Protection)

Last spring, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security that challenged the authority of Customs and Border Protection officers to search returning travelers’ electronic devices without a warrant. Now the ACLU has taken that fight a big step further by filing a lawsuit against DHS.

“The number of electronic device searches at the border began increasing in 2016 and has grown even more under the Trump administration,” the ACLU noted. It said that CBP has conducted 15,000 electronic device searches in the first six months of fiscal 2017, compared with just 8,503 searches in the full fiscal year 2015. In 2016 there were more than 19,000 searches.

Other plaintiffs in the suit include the Electronic Frontier Foundation and 11 individuals who were subjected to warrantless phone or laptop searches when they came back into the U.S. Some of the plaintiffs had their devices confiscated by border agents and held for “weeks or months,” the ACLU said in announcing the lawsuit.

According to the ACLU, an engineer for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California “was detained at the Houston airport on the way home from vacation in Chile. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) officer demanded that he reveal the password for his phone. The officer returned the phone a half-hour later, saying that it had been searched using ‘algorithms.'”

Is there anything on your laptop you wouldn’t want the government to see? (Image: Hyatt)

The suit, called Alasaad vs. Duke, was filed in a federal court in Massachusetts. “It seeks to establish that the government must have a warrant based on probable cause to suspect a violation of immigration or customs laws before conducting such searches,” the ACLU said.

The organization noted that the individual plaintiffs come from all walks of life – a business owner, a military veteran, journalists, students, an engineer at NASA and so on.

“Several are Muslims or people of color,” ACLU noted. “All were reentering the country from business or personal travel when border officers searched their devices. They were not subsequently accused of any wrongdoing.”

ACLU said that in one case, an independent filmmaker who was returning from Canada resisted the CBP agent’s demand to turn over his phone. “Officers then physically restrained him, with one choking him and another holding his legs, and took his phone from his pocket,” the ACLU said.

The organization has set up a web page with details on each of the plaintiffs’ experiences.

Mr. and Mrs. Alasaad had their phones confiscated and held for two weeks. (Image: ACLU)

Sophia Cope, a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said that today’s travelers “store their whole lives, including extremely sensitive personal and business matters, on their phones, tablets, and laptops, and it’s reasonable for them to carry these with them when they travel. It’s high time that the courts require the government to stop treating the border as a place where they can end-run the Constitution,”

You can read the full ACLU legal filing here.

The ACLU has plenty of funding to support its legal action. Last January, after the Trump administration sought to ban U.S. entry to persons from several Muslim-majority countries, the organization took in $24 million in a single weekend from hundreds of thousands of donors. That was six times as much as it usually collects in a full year.

Readers: Has your device been searched by CBP? Do you think CBP officers should need reasonable cause to search it?

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TSA phases in tougher domestic screening procedures

July 26, 2017

New TSA screening rules are coming to U.S. airports. (Chris McGinnis)

Those more stringent security inspection standards that the Department of Homeland Security recently stared requiring for overseas airports are being implemented for domestic travel as well.

The Transportation Security Administration said this week that persons who use the regular (non-PreCheck) screening lanes will be required to remove all electronic devices larger than a cell phone from their carry-on bags and put them in a separate bin to go through the x-ray machines. This includes tablet-sized devices. The devices should have nothing else below or on top of them – the same way laptops have been handled for several years.

TSA said the procedure will help its officers see a better x-ray image. The new requirement will not apply for persons using TSA’s PreCheck lanes- but be prepared for this for those times you don’t get selected, or your airline does not participate with PreCheck.

So far, we’ve heard that the enhanced screening for international flights is causing minimal delays, so let’s hope that stricter screening at domestic checkpoints follows suit.

Persons using PreCheck lanes will be exempt from the new requirements. (Image: TSA)

The new rules are already in place at 10 airports where they have been tested, including Boise, Colorado Springs, Detroit Metro, Ft. Lauderdale, Boston Logan, Los Angeles International, Lubbock, San Juan, Las Vegas and Phoenix Sky Harbor. They will be expanded “during the weeks and months ahead” to all airports, the agency said.

“In standard screening lanes, TSA officers will be stationed in front of the checkpoint X-ray machines to guide passengers through the screening process and recommend how best to arrange their carry-on items for X-ray screening,” the agency said.

“Travelers are encouraged to organize their carry-on bags and keep them uncluttered to ease the screening process and keep the lines moving. There are no changes to what travelers can bring through the checkpoint; food and liquid items that comply with the 3-1-1 liquids rule, electronics, and books continue to be allowed in carry-on bags.”

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Get ready: Huge security overhaul for international flights

June 28, 2017

American Airlines is starting to use Analogic computed tomography 3-D scanners for carry-ons. (Image: Analogic)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is reportedly planning to impose strict new security standards for all airlines flying into the U.S. starting next month – a move that could lead to confusion, uncertainty and longer lines for passengers depending on how responsive airlines are in meeting the requirements.

According to various news services, DHS is ordering the new standards as an alternative to expanding its current “laptop ban” – a rule that currently bars passengers from carrying electronic devices larger than a smartphone into the cabins of U.S.-bound non-stop flights from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa.

However, DHS is also said to be threatening to extend the laptop ban to any airlines or airports that don’t meet its new security safeguards. The agency has been threatening for months to expand the laptop ban to European airports over concerns that terrorist groups are perfecting methods for hiding explosives in laptop computers. Reports suggested that DHS could even decide to withhold U.S. landing rights from non-compliant airlines.

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DHS wants more bomb-sniffing dogs at overseas airports. (Image: TSA)

The agency hasn’t said publicly exactly what its new standards will involve, but they would apply for the flights of 180 airlines from 280 airports in 105 countries rather than just those considered to pose the highest risk of a terrorist threat.

News reports indicated that the new requirements might include more sophisticated explosive trace detection scanning for passengers’ carry-ons, greater use of bomb-sniffing dogs, and more intensive screening of airport workers and even passengers themselves.

According to a report from Reuters, DHS will give airlines just 21 days to start using more effective explosive screening methods, and 120 days to implement other new security measures like enhanced screening of individual passengers.

At the same time, DHS officials have reportedly said that the 10 airports where the laptop ban currently applies could have that ban lifted if they implement the new security measures.

Middle Eastern airlines are offering in-cabin laptops and tablets to business class passengers affected by the ban. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

DHS officials have met repeatedly with their European counterparts in recent weeks over the agency’s proposed expansion of the laptop ban. European security officials have expressed concerns that requiring large numbers of travelers to put their electronic devices into checked luggage could pose a greater risk of fires in the hold of an aircraft, since the lithium batteries on those devices are known to sometimes ignite spontaneously.

If the reports are correct that DHS will only allow three weeks for the implementation of more effective explosives screening, that raises the question of how the agency hopes to enforce its new requirements. Will it have enough personnel to inspect hundreds of airport locations overseas in the short term? Will the new standards be specific enough for clear decisions about which locations and airlines are compliant? Will they allow for any exemptions or extensions? And how will passengers know if a new laptop ban is about to be suddenly imposed on their flight to the U.S.?

DHS officials told USA Today they expect 99 percent of airlines will meet the new requirements in the allotted time frames. But with the peak summer season for international travel already under way, this could make for some interesting situations at overseas airports. Stay tuned.

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Laptop ban update: yes, no and maybe

May 30, 2017

Would you go on an international flight without a laptop or tablet? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

UPDATE 10:30 am PT May 30: Politico Europe is reporting that the U.S. has told its EU counterparts that there will be no laptop ban for now. The post states that “this matter is closed for now. However, the decision not to impose the ban could change based on future intelligence.” We will monitor this for confirmation, but here’s the latest: http://www.politico.eu/article/us-tells-eu-no-laptop-ban-2/

UPDATE #2 Noon PT May 30: Regarding the Politico report above: A DHS spokesperson says that story is “absolutely wrong,” and that DHS Secretary John Kelly “made it clear that an expansion (of the ban) is still on the table.” Here’s the latest, as reported by USA Today.

Original post:

Worried about the Department of Homeland Security’s much-discussed plans to expand its ban on in-cabin laptops and tablets to inbound flights from Europe? Well, now you’ve got a whole lot more to worry about.

Appearing on Fox News this past weekend, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said he is now thinking about possibly extending the ban to all international flights in and out of the U.S.

Meanwhile, there could be some hope on the technological horizon that improved screening devices might eventually make such a ban unnecessary.

Kelly said in an interview that he “might” make the ban a global one, claiming that terrorist groups working on laptop computer bombs pose a “real threat” to commercial aviation. Kelly said terror groups “are obsessed with…the idea of knocking down an airplane in flight, particularly if it’s a U.S. carrier.”

Currently, the U.S. ban on in-cabin laptops and tablets only applies to inbound non-stop flights from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa. DHS was said to be on the verge of extending the ban to inbound flights from Europe earlier this month, but that plan was put on hold – at least temporarily – as the U.S. carries on discussions with European security officials about the wisdom and necessity of such an action.

Middle Eastern carriers are offering loaner laptops to premium passengers. (Image: Qatar Airways)

When the discussion was limited to a ban on in-cabin electronic devices aboard flights from Europe, the aviation and business travel industries were predicting “havoc” for transatlantic travel, with business travelers staying home, and airlines losing money and trimming routes. That chorus of complaints from both sides of the Atlantic about the impact of a ban seemed to have worked- and kept it at bay– until Kelly’s remarks on Sunday.

An expansion of the ban to all international flights would increase those concerns by many orders of magnitude and would lead to wholesale changes in the way people travel.

A passenger survey conducted in 2016 found that 38 percent of international travelers worldwide carry a laptop onboard, and 42 percent of those with a laptop use it during the flight. For tablets, the comparable numbers were 43 percent who carry one on, and 70 percent of those use one in-flight.

Meanwhile, manufacturers of airport security screening devices say technology has improved so much in recent years that a new generation of scanning machines could easily detect explosive materials in carry-on laptops and liquids, according to Bloomberg News.

But that might not bring an easy solution to DHS’s immediate concerns. For one thing, it would take a long time to manufacture and deploy the next-generation scanners to airports in the U.S. and abroad. For another, Congress would have to approve funding for the purchase and installation of such equipment, which could cost an estimated $1 billion.

Do you think a laptop ban is imminent? How will it change the way you travel? Please leave your comments below.

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Expansion of laptop ban put on hold

May 18, 2017

Delta put up a sign at Cincinnati prematurely last week anticipating a larger laptop ban. (Source: FlyerTalk)

Travelers concerned about the U.S. banning in-cabin laptops and tablets on flights from Europe are breathing a sigh of relief – although it may be only temporary.

Just last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was said to be on the verge of expanding its laptop ban – currently in effect for flights from 10 Middle Eastern and North African airports – to include inbound flights from Europe as well. But after a crucial meeting in Brussels this week between U.S. and European security and aviation officials, those plans have apparently been put on hold for now.

The Associated Press quoted one official as saying after the meeting that the expanded laptop ban is ”off the table” for now.

In an official statement following the meeting, DHS and the European Commission said only that they had “reaffirmed their commitment to continue working closely together on aviation security generally,” and that they have scheduled another meeting next week in Washington D.C. “to further assess shared risks and solutions for protecting airline passengers, whilst ensuring the smooth functioning of global air travel.”

The U.S. is concerned that terrorist organizations like ISIS are refining methods of planting explosives inside electronic devices in such a way that they can’t be detected by existing airport security systems.

If laptops are a threat in the cabin, are they safe in checked bags? (Image: Jim Glab)

At their Brussels meeting, the two sides “exchanged information on the serious evolving threats to aviation security and approaches to confronting such threats,” the official statement said. “Participants provided insight into existing aviation security standards and detection capabilities as well as recent security enhancements on both sides of the Atlantic related to large electronic devices placed in checked baggage.”

The statement said nothing about the proposed expansion of the laptop ban.

The Europeans were known to be concerned about threats to aviation safety if large numbers of electronic devices with lithium batteries are stowed in the hold of an aircraft, since those batteries have been known to ignite.

The threat of an expanded laptop ban led to warnings from the airline and travel industries that transatlantic travel could suffer significant damage from such an order. The initial damage would be in the form of chaos at airports as travelers and airlines adapted to the ban, and longer term in a falloff of bookings, especially among higher-paying business travelers.

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Working around the laptop ban

April 1, 2017

Qatar Airways is offering loaner laptops to premium passengers. (Image: Qatar Airways)

If you can’t bring your own laptop or tablet into the cabin for a very long flight, would you accept a loaner?

That’s the strategy some carriers are adopting in the wake of the so-called “laptop ban” imposed by the U.S. and U.K. governments on non-stop flights from several airports in the Middle East and Africa. The ban bars passengers from carrying any electronic device larger than a smartphone into the passenger cabin.

First, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad decided to offer loaner iPads and free Wi-Fi starting April 2 for first class and business class passengers on flights to its six U.S. gateways.

Qatar Airways then went a step further, buying up a supply of loaner laptops that will be made available on the aircraft to U.S.-bound business class passengers starting next week. “Customers will be able to download their work on to a USB before stepping on board to pick up where they left off,” the airline said. Qatar is also offering all passengers one hour of free in-flight Wi-Fi on U.S.-bound flights, or a special rate of $5 for a connection for the full duration of the flight.

Emirates’ president said that his carrier is also considering the use of loaner laptops for premium passengers.

Turkish Airlines and others will let customers check devices at the gate. (Photo: San Francisco International Airport)

Both Qatar and Emirates are letting U.S.-bound passengers keep using their tablets and laptops right up to boarding, so they don’t have to pack them in their checked luggage. Devices will be collected at the gate, flown in the hold, and returned at the destination. Turkish Airlines has also adopted procedures for checking electronic devices at the gate.

The affected airlines are not alone in worrying about the impact that the ban could have on their business. The International Air Transport Association – the leading trade organization for the world’s airlines – called on governments “to urgently find alternatives” to the device ban. The group said the ban seemed misguided and poorly conceived.

“The current measures are not an acceptable long-term solution to whatever threat they are trying to mitigate. Even in the short term it is difficult to understand their effectiveness. And the commercial distortions they create are severe,” said IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac.

“With the measures now in place, our passengers and member airlines are asking valid questions. Why don’t the US and the UK have a common list of airports? How can laptops be secure in the cabin on some flights and not others, including flights departing from the same airport? And surely there must be a way to screen electronic equipment effectively? The current situation is not acceptable and will not maintain the all-important confidence of the industry or of travelers. We must find a better way. And Governments must act quickly,” said de Juniac.

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Electronics ban spreads: Advice & alternative explanations

March 21, 2017

Working on your laptop inflight now impossible on some airlines (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Today the Department of Homeland Security announced that passengers traveling on nonstop flights to the U.S. from 10 airports in the Middle East and Africa will not be allowed to carry on electronic devices larger than mobile phones. Instead, these larger devices must now be transported as checked luggage.

This morning, the UK imposed a similar ban on nonstop flights from six cities in the Middle East and Africa. The UK ban differs in that it DOES include non Middle East carriers (including British Airways) but it does not affect flights from Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi. Canada is also considering a similar ban.

This directive hits business travelers directly in the gut. Why? Because we typically spend most of our time on long flights working on our laptops, or watching movies on our tablets. We don’t check bags. And we don’t trust the airlines to transport our valuable equipment safely and securely in checked luggage (and airlines specifically state that they will not cover electronics in checked baggage).

The good news, if there is any, is that this directive affects a very small number of flights. DHS emphasizes that only 10 airports out of 250 worldwide with nonstop flights to the US are affected.

For example, at San Francisco International, it hits less than three flights per day: a daily nonstop from Dubai on Emirates Airline and the daily nonstop from Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. It also affects a twice-per-week nonstop from Abu Dhabi to SFO on Etihad. In Atlanta, it affects two flights: the daily nonstop from Doha on Qatar Airways and another from Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.

Turkish Airlines inaugural flight with San Francisco mural arrives at SFO (Chris McGinnis)

The affected overseas airports are:

Amman-Queen Alia International Airport (AMM)
Cairo International Airport (CAI)
Istanbul- Ataturk International Airport (IST)
Jeddah- King Abdul-Aziz International Airport (JED)
Riyadh- King Khalid International Airport (RUH)
Kuwait International Airport (KWI),
Casablanca- Mohammed V Airport (CMN)
Doha- Hamad International Airport (DOH)
Dubai International Airport (DXB)
Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH)

Airlines affected by the ban:

Egypt Air
Emirates
Etihad Airways
Kuwait Airways
Qatar Airways
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Jordanian Airlines
Saudi Arabian Airlines
Turkish Airlines

Why is this happening…and why now? Well, the DHS says that it made the move to improve security based on intelligence that terrorists were focused on commercial aviation targets. But we’ve known about this threat since the 1990s. An interesting story in the Washington Post posits that the move is not about security at all– it’s about retaliation against the big three Middle East Carriers (known as 3ME).

Source: The Washington Post

What’s most poignant here is how the ban will affect the 3ME, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways. These are the only carriers offering nonstop flights to the U.S. from Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. While these airlines wow us with stellar onboard service on new aircraft, business travelers are going to book away from them when faced with this ban. Instead, they’ll book one-stop flights on European carriers for the flight back to the U.S. (At least that’s what I would do…what about you? Comments below, please!)

Helpful: Q&A with DHS about the ban

How long will this last? DHS says that the ban is in place indefinitely, although Emirates said it could last until October. The ban impacts all travelers on all affected flights regardless of citizenship or trusted traveler status. It even affects flights from Abu Dhabi, where passengers pass through customs at the airport in a DHS-run pre-clearance facility. The ban was announced on Tuesday, March 21, and airlines have until Friday to comply.

TIP: BACK UP YOUR LAPTOP NOW! Especially if overseas travel is in your future. You never know when or if this ban could spread and you could be separated from your device. Also, with a new focus on laptops, it would be smart to be sure it’s always charged in case you are asked to turn it on by security staff.

How do you feel about this? Does it affect you at all? Would you be more likely to book away from one of the affected carriers? Please leave your comments below!

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Airports: Screening upgrades, Oakland lounge, National Car pop-ups + more

October 28, 2016

National is installing free popup lounges with wifi like this one at Washington Dulles (Photo: Jeff Pearce)

In airport news this week, new technology could soon be coming to TSA’s carry-on bag screenings; Oakland Airport gets its first premium lounge; National Car is opening “pop-up” airport lounges for Emerald Club members; San Jose introduces robots; and better Wi-Fi is coming to Boston Logan.

Starting next week, members of National Car Rental’s Emerald Club will have a new lounge option at five major airports. The rental firm said it will bring back free “pop-up” lounges for Emerald Club members at Boston Logan, Chicago O’Hare, Sacramento, St. Louis and Washington Dulles. They’ll remain in place through April, then move to other airports for the summer, National said. All will be located post-security in one terminal per airport; they’ll be open 24 hours, but only staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Users will get free Wi-Fi, charging stations, and access to tablets and TVs for checking flight status, sports, news and weather information.

For years, the Transportation Security Administration has relied on traditional x-ray technology to see inside travelers’ carry-on bags – not always with great results. But those machines could be replaced soon with a more effective technology, according to a report from Bloomberg News. It said that the CT scanners currently in use behind the scenes to inspect passengers’ checked bags could be adapted to serve the same purpose for carry-on bag scans. “Instead of the two views of a bag generated by the current machines, CT scanners shoot hundreds of images with an X-ray camera spinning around the conveyor belt to provide screeners with three-dimensional views,” Bloomberg noted. Among the benefits of using that technology for carry-ons: Passengers would no longer have to remove liquids and laptops from their bags.

A new pay-per-use Escape Lounge opens at Oakland in November. (Image: MAG)

A mid-November opening is expected for the first premium passenger lounge at Oakland International. Operated by the U.S. division of Britain’s Manchester Airport Group (MAG), the Escape Lounge will be available to all travelers on a pay-per-use basis, for a fee of $45 on site or $40 if booked in advance. The 2,700 square foot facility can accommodate 50 travelers, and will have separate zones for relaxing, dining/drinking and work. Food will be supervised by Oakland chef Chris Pastena, whose restaurants include Calavera, Lungomare and Chop Bar. Admission fees cover food, drinks and Wi-Fi. MAG also operates an Escape Lounge at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, and it just opened one at Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport.

San Jose International’s new robots Norma, Amelia, and Piper (Image: San Jose International)

Mineta San Jose International has rolled out – literally – a trio of friendly robots to help travelers find their way around the facility, giving directions to gates, shops and restaurants. Users can even take a selfie with the devices, which are equipped with 32-inch touch screens and were developed by a South Korean firm called Future Robot. You’ll find them at Gates 11, 21 and 25. Information can be displayed in six languages.

The board of directors at Massport, which oversees Boston Logan Airport, has voted to revise its contract with Boingo, the provider of the airport’s free Wi-Fi service. Massport said a new pilot program starting this month in Terminal E will increase the allowable free Wi-Fi session time limit from 45 minutes to four hours, and will also boost connection speeds. In addition, users will see a new single-click link to the Wi-Fi without ads. The pilot program will run through March. Massport said passengers at Logan currently make 24,000 Wi-Fi connections per day, with an average session time of 88 minutes.

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